The relationship between political ideology and cognition has received little attention. In this presentation, we will describe our pioneering investigation into the relationship between cognitive decline and political ideology. This work, supported in part by the UCI Medical Humanities Initiative, analyzed ideological self-identification, political policy choices, and cognition in individuals participating in the landmark UCI project The 90+ Study. We will describe our novel findings, and their implications going forward.

Please register at: http://bit.ly/MFisher-Apr22

Bios:

Dr. Mark Fisher is Professor of Neurology at University of California, Irvine, where he holds appointments in the Departments of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Political Science, and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, along with the Beckman Laser Institute, and is a member of UCI MIND. He received his MD from University of Cincinnati in 1975, and after completing Neurology training at UCLA-Wadsworth VA Medical Center joined the faculty in the Department of Neurology at University of Southern California in 1980 where he established the first stroke program in Southern California. His edited work “Medical Therapy of Acute Stroke” was published in 1989, years before the first successful acute stroke therapy clinical trials. At UCI, he served as Chair of the Department of Neurology from 1998-2006, established the UCI Stroke Center, led the effort for UCI becoming the first academic medical center in the country to receive JCAHO certification as a primary stroke center, and led the UCI Department of Neurology into the top ten for NIH research funding for Neurology Departments nationwide for the first time. His NIH stroke research grant (R01) has been funded for nearly 40 years, and he has received approximately 50 citations of clinical excellence as a stroke neurologist by a variety of external organizations. He is currently engaged in clinical and basic vascular neurobiology research along with interdisciplinary investigations, and provides stroke care in the inpatient, emergency room, and clinic settings.

Davin L. Phoenix is an associate professor of political science at the University of California, Irvine. He researches how race influences the emergence and effects of anger, pride and hope in politics, how protests and media narratives on policing influence state policies, and how religious views shape the political behavior of people of color. His work has been published in The Journal of Social and Political Psychology, Politics and Religion and Politics, Groups and Identities. His book The Anger Gap: How Race Shapes Emotions in Politics is winner of the American Political Science Association’s 2020 Ralph J. Bunche Award for best scholarly work exploring ethnic and cultural pluralism, and co-winner of the 2020 APSA award for best book on race and ethnic politics. Davin is a recipient of the 2017-18 Dean’s Honoree for Teaching Excellence Award, and a 2019 UROP Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research.

Sierra Powell is Chair of the Department of Geography and Political Science and Professor of Political Science at Mount San Antonio College. Her research focuses on American political behavior, the politics of disability, and the politics of health. Her work has appeared in American Politics Research, Presidential Studies Quarterly, the Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law, Policy Studies and in other edited volumes.